One of the most beautiful
tortoise species may be heading for extinction. Radiated tortoises, with their
yellow-and-black starburst shells, are being relentlessly hunted in southern
Madagascar’s spiny forest.

Biologists from WCS and the
Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) predict the killing of these reptiles for meat
and the pet trade will drive radiated tortoises to extinction within 20 years.

“The rate of hunting of
radiated tortoises is similar to the hunting pressure on American bison during
the early 19th century, where they were nearly hunted to extinction when they
once numbered in the tens of millions,” said Brian D. Horne, turtle
conservation coordinator for WCS’s Species Program.

Conducting field surveys in
southern Madagascar, the team of conservationists found entire regions empty of
tortoises. The people living in the area gave clues to where these spiky-shelled
reptiles went. They reported armed bands of poachers taking the tortoises away
by the truckload to open meat markets in towns such as Beloha and Tsihombe.

Authorities have seized some
trucks filled with the tortoises recently. They have also discovered poaching
camps littered with the remains of thousands of these pretty animals. A
longstanding drought and the resulting agricultural troubles have increased tortoise
hunting for survival or economic purposes. Madagascar’s current political
instability has also contributed to the tortoise losses, along with many other
of the island nation’s natural resources.

Tortoise numbers closer to more populated areas have crashed significantly, and
the conservationists predict the poachers will soon move to hunting protected
areas, such as national parks and World Heritage Sites. Local staff are often
not equipped to stop the poaching of this species, and any back-up enforcement
can take days to reach the parks.

“Areas where scores of
radiated tortoises could be seen just a few years ago have been poached clean,”
said James Deutsch, director of WCS’s Africa Program. “Back then one could
hardly fathom that this beautiful tortoise could ever become endangered, but
such is the world we live in, and things can—and do—change rapidly.”

There once were millions of
radiated tortoises in southern Madagascar. Now, the IUCN Red List
(International Union for Conservation of Nature) ranks them as Critically
Endangered. Community-based efforts that help sustain the tortoise’s habitat
will be needed to save these unique and endangered species.

“Radiated tortoises are truly
under siege now as never before, and if we can’t draw a line in the sand around
protected areas, then we will lose this species” said Rick Hudson, president of
the TSA. “I can’t think of a tortoise species that has undergone a more rapid
rate of decline in modern times, or a more drastic contraction in range, than
the radiated tortoise. This is a crisis situation of the highest magnitude.”

The WCS Bronx Zoo keeps about
a dozen radiated tortoises at the Behler Chelonian Conservation Center and owns
others that reside in other U.S. zoos. Many of these tortoises are Species
Survival Program-recommended animals for breeding. These radiated tortoises
represent a significant percentage of this species in the U.S.